Chapter Four
Introducing Cain and Abel
4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
Another literary device used in the Bible is a euphemism, this is where the actual term or phrase could be considered offensive, too mature or otherwise embarrassing to use, so a less-offensive word is substituted. Here we read the phrase, “Adam knew Eve,” the word translated as ‘knew’ is the Hebrew word, ‘yā·ḏǎ’,[1] meaning ‘to know’. The word is a euphemism for marital intercourse, through which Cain was born. The name ‘Cain’ comes from the Hebrew word that essentially means ‘acquired’, ‘gotten’, or ‘possession’, as referenced in Eve’s joyous proclamation. Since the Bible often describes the process of giving new-borns names that either relate to a description of the infant, the circumstances leading up to the birth, or some role the child was to fulfill in the future, many scholars believe that the reason Eve was so joyous is that she may have thought that she just gave birth to the promised Savior. However, as we all know, that was not the case, the apostle John essentially identified him as a ‘child’ of Satan. “We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.” (1 John 3:12)
We read that Cain was a worker of the ground and Abel was a keeper of sheep. Since eating meat was not allowed at this time (see Genesis 1:29; 2:16; 3:19; 9:3), the sheep were undoubtedly raised for clothing and perhaps sacrifices.
Considerations
Most scholars agree that since the text does not mention a separate time of intercourse or conception (see verses 1 and 25), Cain and Abel were twins, Cain being the first born. However, there are some that believe that since Cain was considered “of the evil one” (see 1 John 3:12 above) and Abel as being ‘righteous’ (see Matthew 23:35), that they were separately conceived by two different fathers, one righteous and the other in the line of Satan. This concept of separate conceptions is both unnecessary and invalid, since God is omniscient and is outside the influence of time, He would have known the hearts of these two long before they were born. One chose to follow God and the other chose to disobey God, as demonstrated by their actions, nothing more is implied.
Adam and Eve had several sons and daughters and of course their children had children. “The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters.” (Genesis 5:4) Since they were given the instructions to multiply by God Himself (Genesis 1:28), this was undoubtedly a priority in their lives. One of the classic questions non-believers like to ask is “who did Cain marry?” (See Genesis 4:17) Cain could have married a number of potential women, a sister or perhaps a cousin. As explained earlier, the Bible is not an exhaustive source of all things, nor does it list or mention all of the people.
Another question one might ask would be, if Cain married a sister or cousin, wouldn’t that be considered incest? First, there would not have been any genetic imperfections in the human race at that time. The command against marrying a close relative came thousands of years later (see Leviticus 18:6). After so many years of gradual genetic corruption and degradation, inbreeding could have created some serious problems if allowed to continue. Then secondly, if God started mankind with just two people, then Cain would have had to marry a close relative, no other options would have been available.
Cain What Have You Done?
4:3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
The phrase, “In the course of time,” is the Hebrew expression, “mi qēṣ’ yā-mîm’,”[2] referring to the passage of time. However, since it can also be translated, “at the end of the days,” some believe it could be a reference to the seventh day (the end) of a week, namely the Sabbath (which of course will be discussed in greater detail later). Regardless of which day of the week, it does appear that there was a regular time and location where they would go to meet and offer sacrifices to God. There is also no reason to believe that this was their first encounter with God or that this was their first offering (Hebrew word ‘min·ḥā(h)’,[3] meaning ‘gift’). To add to the mystery, we see that the text does not mention what the offerings were for, as they could have been for several reasons, including worship and gratitude. Plus, there is no mention if they were requested or required by God.
However, it does seem likely that God would have given them some form of instruction. By the time they were at an age to take care of animals and till the ground as well as offer sacrifices to God, they should have had a good understanding of the nature of God and what pleased Him. Did the oral law include the same basic elements of the written law given to Moses? If that were the case, then Cain probably would have needed to obtain a sacrificial animal from his brother or some other source as the shedding of blood is what God required for atonement (see commentary for Genesis 3:21). Which leads us to the question, was Cain tired of this arrangement or was something else going on? It is unclear as to why the rebellious attitude, all we do know is that he submitted something to God that he grew himself, something he may have been proud of, a product of his own efforts.
We can see that Abel’s offering of “the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions,” matches what will be required in the law as seen in the book of Leviticus (see Leviticus 3:16 for one example). Cain’s, on the other hand, was not in accordance with God’s law (see Hebrews 11:4). Our righteousness, and that includes any acts of righteousness we might do, regardless of our intentions, is still inadequate before God. “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” (Isaiah 64:6) So what made Abel’s actions acceptable and Cain’s not acceptable? We have to go all the way forward to the book of Hebrews to get an answer, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.” (Hebrews 11:4) God did not reject Cain’s offering because it wasn’t an animal, it was that his heart that was unacceptable before God and Abel’s heart was. The Bible reminds us often that without faith it is impossible to please God where offerings become vain (see 1 Samuel 15:22; Proverbs 15:8; Isaiah 1:11-13; 66:3; Jeremiah 6:20; Malachi 1:10; Hebrews 11:6) Cain, like many that will follow, did not have a “right heart” before God, “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b, see also 1 Kings 8:39; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalm 7:9; Jeremiah 11:20; 17:10; 20:12; 24:7; Matthew 5:8). King David understood this when he pleaded with God, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
Cain resented both God and Abel, but how did this selfish act turn into so much bitterness and hate? Even though there is no mention about their early life or their upbringing, there is no reason to believe they were loved differently or even taught differently. It didn’t take long for the sin of pride to boil out of control.
4:6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
God spoke directly to Cain where He promised to accept him if he were to do well (Hebrew word ‘ṯě·ṭîḇ’,[4] meaning “to be good” or “to be pleasing”), in other words, to be obedient to God. He went on to add the warning that sin was crouching (laying down unnoticed until it was too late) at the door. The choice was his; he could accept the Word of God and be obedient or reject God and fall to sin.
If Cain truly wanted to please God with his offering, he would have listened to God and heeded His warning. It seems that the issue wasn’t that of strict obedience to a protocol for making an offering to God, it was borne out of pride. Mankind still rebels against authority for the exact same reason. Cain turned his back on God and set out to have a few words with his brother. Cain may have used the ruse of wanting to talk to Abel to get him out in the field, regardless, Abel was killed by Cain, the first murder recorded in the Bible.
4:9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
There are a number of parallels between this story and the fall of man in the garden. God once again, obviously knowing what happened (just like He did in the garden of Eden with Adam), allowed Cain an opportunity to confess and repent of his deed, but instead he lied and defiantly responded with the flippant remark, “am I my brother’s keeper?” Instead of remorse, Cain compounded his action with insolence. When there is no repentance, there is no mercy, only judgment. God cursed Cain from the ground, this was not another curse of the ground, but a specific curse on Cain who will no longer be able to grow anything in the ground. Which means he will not have an opportunity to settle down in one location, he will need to wander in order to live. The word translated as ‘fugitive’ is the Hebrew word ’nā’,[5] meaning to shake, to stagger, it can also refer to a displaced person, a vagrant or one that wanders.
The blood of the first murder, which is also the first death of a human, represents our current fallen condition. The author of the book of Hebrews uses this metaphor to compare our current condition with the new covenant offered by Jesus. “You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.” (Hebrews 12:24, NLT)
4:13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.
One question that is often asked is, why didn’t God execute Cain, especially considering the coming requirement of capital punishment for murder (see Genesis 9:6). We can only speculate, God being a merciful God often offers time for repentance. Here Cain is no longer disrespecting God and does not deny that his punishment is undeserved, just worried that he may not survive. His first concern was about how others might treat him, after all no one wants to be around a murderer! God gave assurance to Cain that He will avenge anyone who may kill him seven times over. To that end, God placed a mark on Cain to warn anyone around him about that promise. We do not know what that mark was or how others would know what it meant, nonetheless it undoubtedly was obvious. Being marked may not have been what Cain hoped for and it probably did not offer him much comfort, but it would certainly have been effective to demonstrate the need to obey God to those around him.
Considerations
What did God mean by punishing those that would kill Cain with a, “vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold?” The number seven in Scripture is a very important number and it often implies that something would be ideal or complete.[6] In this case the vengeance would indeed be complete. There are some Jewish scholars that believe that the sevenfold reference means Cain could not be killed until seven generations have passed, this is unlikely.
The Bible does not give us exact figures, and while we know that the Bible also does not give us information about everything or everyone, we can still make a reasonable estimate as to the population of the world. In the fifth chapter of Genesis not only do we get a genealogy of the key figures before the worldwide flood, but we also see how long each person lived. It appears that people lived significantly longer lives than they do today (okay, that’s an understatement). Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that each family listed in the genealogy had at least five or more children. If we use the model of just three sons and three daughters for each couple, by the end of the first 800 hundred years, earth’s population could have easily been around 120,000 people. Families would have to spread out and many towns would have been formed.
Cain’s Family
4:16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
Cain left God and settled in the land of ‘Nod’, since the word ‘nod’ means to wander or wandering, it is often thought to not be an actual region or location, but a reference to Cain doing as God said he would in verse twelve. However, Cain does settle down in his own town, which he named after his son, Enoch (not to be confused with Jared’s son, Enoch, whose name is prominent in Genesis chapter five).
4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
Even though the line of Cain is not the central family line reported in the Bible, we do read about several of Cain’s main descendants, many of which were truly defiant before God. A possible root meaning is listed behind each name, although scholars are not all in agreement as to their meanings. It is believed that Irad (root is unknown), Mehujael (possibly meaning “God gives life,” however many believe it means, “smitten by God”), and Methushael (“man of God”) are listed because they precede Lamech (root is unknown, some believe it is from a word that means ‘despair’ or ‘despairing’). Lamech was the most notorious of Cain’s descendants, as he was considered the one who led the line of Cain to rebel against God. Here we see that he defied God’s ordinance for marriage by taking two wives, Adah (“to adorn”) and Zillah (root is unknown, some suggest ‘shadow’, in the sense of one following someone to protect them; while others suggest words like ‘clanging’ or even ‘tinkling’).
Three of Lamech’s sons apparently contributed a number of significant achievements. Jabal (unknown root, however some suggest “to bring”) apparently had some hand in the development of the tent, giving him the ability to take care of livestock, some believe the reference to livestock referred to his ability to domesticate other animals. Jubal (again the exact root is unknown, some suggest it means ‘sound’) is considered the inventor of several types of musical instruments. And from Zillah, Tubal-cain (“to be brought out of Cain”) was credited with the invention of metal alloys, such as bronze and the development of iron tools. We see Tubal-cain’s sister’s name Naamah (meaning “to be lovely” or “delightful song”), but nothing more is said of her.
4:23 Lamech said to his wives: “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. 24 If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”
If you were to say that this man was disgusting and looking for trouble, you would be right. Not only is this proclamation the ramblings of a disturbed mind, but he is also outwardly challenging God. We see that Lamech hates God and has no respect for human life. It is amazing the level of anger people have against a God they have rejected; it was true then and it is perhaps even more true today. The God of love being portrayed as the ultimate enemy; another one of Satan’s tricks.
Considerations
Some people think that Cain was intentionally attempting to defy God by settling down and building his own town. Let’s take another look at those two words that were translated ‘fugitive’ and ‘wanderer’ found in Genesis 4:12, ‘nā’[7] and ‘nāḏ’,[8] respectively. The word ‘nā’ can describe a person physically shaking or trembling in fear as it was the case for the Israelites in front of God at the base of Mount Sinai (see Exodus 20:18). The word ‘nāḏ’ has been used to describe someone mourning or one grieving as found in Job 2:11; 42:11; Psalm 69:20-21; Isaiah 51:19; and Jeremiah 48:27. It is true that Cain could not work the ground any more, requiring him to constantly find new food sources, but perhaps his greatest fear was that he would now be an outcast, no longer welcome at home. If the people at this time knew God’s law, and we know that they knew at least some of it, there could have eventually been someone out to avenge Abel’s death, a possibility that is supported by Cain’s fear of being killed. The concept of a kinsman-redeemer (Hebrew word ‘gā’al’,[9] also ‘gō·’ēl’, usually translated as ‘redeemer’ can also be translated as ‘avenger’), is a central theme in the Bible.
If we interpret Genesis 4:12 in this way, we can see that Cain was not defying God by building the town of Enoch, he was being obedient by staying away from his family.
Introducing Seth
4:25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.
Adam and Eve have another child. We learn from Genesis 5:3 that Adam was 130 years old when Seth was born. The name Seth essentially means ‘placed’, ‘put’, or ‘granted’, it has also been translated as ‘replacement’ and ’substitute’, someone to ‘replace’ Abel. The text immediately tells us that Seth also had a son; however, we know that he was 105 years old when his son Enosh was born (see Genesis 5:6). The exact meaning of the name Enosh is unknown; however, it is believed to mean ‘mortal’ or perhaps ‘man’.
Here in the last verse of the chapter we find people worshiping God. After what we read regarding Cain and his family, it is certainly refreshing to hear them calling out in the name of God!
Considerations
We need to remember that Scripture informs us of only what we need to know, sometimes we receive a vast amount of information with lots of details, while other times, little to no detail including some omissions. God only tells us what we need to know. Another way to look at this is to think of it like an aerial photograph. The view at 50,000-foot elevation is a lot to see but much of the detail is missing. The view at 1,000 feet, however provides greater detail but the view is limited.
Genesis started with the creation of all things, that would be a really high-altitude viewpoint. Then we started to look at a garden, our viewpoint is lowering. Now we are following a single family, a really low viewpoint. Even though life goes on all around, the Bible will follow a single bloodline, the line of the coming Savior. On occasion we will hear about a neighboring country or a significant event in history, which helps us readers understand the chronology and time dating of the Bible, but the emphasis will always be on the Messiah. Bible scholars call it the thread that binds all the stories in Scripture together. Since that thread includes the suffering and death of our Savior, Jesus, it is often called the red or scarlet thread, referring the color of His blood that set us free.
⇐Previous Chapter (Introduction/Index) Next Chapter⇒
[1] Strong’s Hebrew 3045.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 4480, 7093 and 3117.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 4503.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 3190.
[5] Strong’s Hebrew 5128.
[6] See Considerations under Genesis 10:1 regarding “The Perpetual Onion” for discussion on the heptadic structure of the Bible.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 5128.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 5110.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 1350.